Is the United States really a democracy? Is the two-party system a two-party dictatorship? Are there fundamental differences between the Democratic and Republican Parties? How does the U.S. electoral system compare with those of other countries?

What is the proper role of government? Should health care be privatized or public? What drives the Federal government to increasingly fund national security over social security?

These are among the many questions to be discussed in a forum led by Sharat G. Lin. Dr. Lin is president of the San Jose Peace and Justice Center. He writes on global political economy, the Middle East, labor migration, and public health.

WE'RE NOT BROKE is the story of how U.S. corporations have been able to hide over a trillion dollars from Uncle Sam, and how seven fed-up Americans from across the country, take their frustration to the streets . . . and vow to make the corporations pay their fair share.

Sponsored by EDGE for Economic Justice.America is in the grip of a societal economic panic. Lawmakers cry "We're Broke!" as they slash budgets, lay off schoolteachers and firefighters, crumbling our country's social fabric and leaving many Americans scrambling to survive. Meanwhile, multibillion-dollar American corporations like Exxon, Google and Bank of America are making record profits. And while the deficit climbs and the cuts go deeper, these corporations-with intimate ties to our political leaders-are concealing colossal profits overseas to avoid paying U.S. income tax.

Israel-Palestine has scant water resources, but now with the current strife water is dramatic mirror of power relationships. Through an examination of water in various settings-- small Palestine villages and the Gaza strip-- along with large cities shared by Israeli and Arabs-- Haifa and Jerusalem-- Skip Schiel portrays a very difficult-to-visualize topic.

Tuesday, October 16 at 7 pm at the SJ Peace & Justice Center

Skip Schiel is a photographer, writer, and political activist, currently based in Cambridge Massachusetts, USA. Since 2003, his main emphasis has been on the troubles in Palestine and Israel.

We do not know when and how we will die. Death Row inmates do. Werner Herzog embarks on a dialogue with Death Row inmates, asks questions about life and death and looks deep into these individuals, their stories, their crimes.

The film will also be screened in Fremont as part of the Tri-City Documentary Series:

Monday October 8, 6pm

Gaza’s Ark will build a boat in Gaza. A crew of internationals and Palestinians will sail it out of Gaza carrying Palestinian products to fulfill trade deals with international buyers. Col. Ann Wright will report on the latest effort to break the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza.

"The Crisis of Civilization", Friday, September 28 2012 at 7pm at the Peace & Justice Center, 48 S. 7th St., San Jose

The Crisis of Civilization is a documentary feature film investigating how global crises like ecological disaster, financial meltdown, dwindling oil reserves, terrorism and food shortages are converging symptoms of a single, failed global system.

A 3-day film festival will highlight half-hour videos from our 48South7th video project:

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday September 21 - 23, 2012

Each showing has two half-hour films, followed by Q & A. The film makers will be present for the screenings.

Friday at 7:00 PM:Inside Mexico's Drug War: Parts 1 and 2 Investigative journalists John Gibler and Diego Osorno take us inside the drug war in Mexico, revealing the facts behind the popularized versions of the violence.

David Barsamian is director of Alternative Radio and author of many interview books, including Targeting Iran. One of America's most tireless and wide-ranging journalists, he has altered the independent media landscape, both with his weekly radio program and with his books, with Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Tariq Ali, Edward Said, Eqbal Ahmad, and Arundhati Roy. His articles and interviews appear in The Progressive, The Sun, and other journals.

Panelists: Roger Harris, David Oberweiser, Richard Hobbs, Sharat G. Lin, and with Kathleen Densmore moderating will report back from their research visits to Cuba in June. All welcome Suggested donation: $5-10 (no one turned away)

Come enjoy good food and company at the San Jose Peace and Justice Center's fundraiser showing of "HEIST: Who Stole the American Dream?" Featuring a performance by the Raging Grannies who are also shown in the film!

Saturday, September 8 2012 at Teamster Hall 1452 N. 4th St., San Jose

Dinner 6pm--Potluck followed by Raging Grannies' sing-along. Film at 7pm. $5 admission for those who bring a dish that serves five people, $10 Regular Admission. Children under 12 are free

Gasland -- Friday, August 31 2012 at SJPJC, 48 S. 7th St., San Jose

According to the non-profit public interest law firm Earth Justice, "Fracking in California has yet to begin in earnest, but that could soon change. In Monterey County, Officials have given a green light to Denver-based oil company Venoco to drill exploratory wells in the Hames Valley using fracking technology. The area has long been home to plenty of oil drilling and a new boom could be on its way, thanks to fracking. Oil and gas companies are also eyeing the large tracts of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land with mineral rights over the Monterey Shale formation.

"The Monterey Shale Formation, which federal energy officials estimate contains nearly two-thirds of the nation's shale oil reserves, runs east of Highway 101, stretching from Santa Clara County through the Central Valley to Ventura County."

Friday, August 24, 2012 7pm atSJPJC, 48 S. 7th St., San Jose

Past and upcoming protests at Vandenberg Air Force Base / Space Command near Santa Barbara CA will be the focus of a program sponsored by Women's International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF).

Friday, August 17 at SJPJC, 48 S. 7th St, San Jose

Potluck at 6 pmProgram at 7 pm

MacGregor Eddy will give an update on plans for the Oct. 17 trial of the 15 peace protesters arrested at the Feb. 25 test launch of a Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile from Vandenberg Space Command to the Kwajalein atoll.

Susan Crane of the Trident Ploughshares action is returning to prison (Dublin) for non compliance with probation. She will be walking from Lockheed-Martin in Sunnyvale to Dublin to report on Aug. 22. The new director of operations from WILPF's Boston office will be in attendance at the program.

Dr. Paul Rea, author of "Mounting Evidence, Why We Need a New Investigation into 9/11" will deconstruct the Global War on Terror — a flimsy house of cards if ever there were one — and thus will deny Washington its pretext for endless wars.

Thursday, August 09 2012 @ 07:00 PM at the Peace & Justice Center

The talk will provide ways to oppose not only aggression abroad but also repression at home, including toxic Islamophobia.

Dr. Paul W. Rea has taught humanities at Ohio State University, the University of Northern Colorado, and St. Mary's College of California. Now a full-time researcher and writer, Dr. Rea focuses on political, peace and environmental issues.

The Hyatt Santa Clara campaign is commemorating the 4th Anniversary this year. Hyatt Santa Clara workers began the campaign in 2008 when they publicly demanded a Fair Process to choose the Union and in 2011 the Boycott of the Hyatt Santa Clara was launched.

Saturday, July 28th from 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm

Hyatt Santa Clara, 5101 Great America Parkway Santa Clara

The Hyatt Santa Clara campaign is commemorating the 4th Anniversary this year. Hyatt Santa Clara workers began the campaign in 2008 when they publicly demanded a Fair Process to choose the Union and in 2011 the Boycott of the Hyatt Santa Clara was launched.

Noted filmmaker and author Saul Landau will screen his latest film at the San Jose Peace & Justice Center;

Will the Real Terrorist Please Stand Up?

Friday August 3, 2012 at 7pm

SJPJC 48 South 7th St., San Jose

The film chronicles half a century of hostile US-Cuba relations. The film highlights decades of assassinations and sabotage at first backed by Washington and then ignored by the very government that launched a "war against terrorism."

Suggested Donation $10. Dvds of the film will also be for sale at $10 each. Sponsored by San Jose Peace & Justice Center

LaborFest, celebrating the history and culture of working people, has been an annual Bay Area event every July since 1994. Although most events during the month of July take place in San Francisco, this year we hosted five events in San Jose, including:

Monday July 23, 7pm at SJPJC-Migrant Labor in the Arabian Gulf and the Struggle for Democracy, an illustrated talk by Sharat G. Lin discusses the draconian system of migrant labor contracts that systematically denies freedom to the laborers in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.

All events are free and open to the public. Donations will be requested.

This years Cuba Caravan program will feature report backs from our president Sharat G. Lin and others from Human Agenda's trip to Cuba. (The photo on the right shows the Caravan in San Jose last year.)

Sunday, July 8 from 1 to 3pm, 48 South 7th St.

The Cuba Caravan is hosted annually by Pastors for Peace, who seek to collect funding and material aid and bring it to those in need in Cuba. There are several caravans that will be traveling throughout the U.S. to collect funding and materials, while educating the public on the truth about Cuba and promoting an end to the blockade.

Pastors for Peace is a project of the award-winning Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO).

Medea Benjamin, peace activist and co-founder of both Global Exchange and Code Pink, will speak about her new book, Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control:

Monday, June 25 2012, 7pm, St. Paul's United Methodist Church--405 S. 10th St. (corner of 10th & San Salvador), San Jose

The book is a comprehensive look at how drones are being used to assassinate people around the world, about the legal and moral implications, and how to build a movement to rein in the drones. It also looks at how drones are coming to local police departments and what that means for our privacy rights. Requested donation: $10 - $20. The event is a fundraiser for the Peace & Justice Center.

The party will celebrate WILPF's 97-year history resisting war and the causes of war by highlighting the cartoons of bulbul. The artist, Gen Guracar, will bring along a sample of her latest work. Rain or shine garden party. Bring a friend! RSVP please: 408-243-4359. Sponsored by Women's International League for Peace and Freedom-San Jose.

When the popular uprising began in Egypt on January 25, 2011, young people played a crucial role.

Ahmed Salah will talk about the role of youth in the Egyptian revolution:

Friday, May 18, 2012 at 7:00 PM at SJPJC--48 South 7th Street, San Jose

Ahmed Salah was a co-founder of the Kefaya Movement (Egyptian Movement for Change) and the April 6th Youth Movement. Arrested during the first days of the uprising, he faced arrest again on the first anniversary of the Egyptian Revolution. Now in exile in the U.S., he provides insight on what lies ahead in Egypt's struggle for democracy, dignity, and socio-economic justice.

Tuesday, May 15 from 4 to 5pm at the Santa Clara County Government Center 70 West Hedding Street San Jose, CA 95110

Join the South Bay Palestinian community in the celebration featuring: Flag Raising and Proclamation followed by a Reception with Palestinian cuisine. Guest speaker will be Hala Gabriel, a Los Angeles based filmmaker. This event is free and open to the public, Wheelchair accessible.